Fear is the key

What is bigger than our biggest creation, the ‘creator’ God?

Not his love but the imagined fear of his anger. Fear of God’s wrath is the key to success of the invisible God’s real empire.

No wonder natural calamities, great losses beyond our control are defined as ‘Acts of God’. As if the so called all merciful is ever ready to open his third eye and burn everything in its rage. Fear of God gives instant returns to the businesses of organized religions.

There are more prayers recited for God in hospitals, examination halls, interview rooms than in the places of worship.

The creators of God realized this very well and knew that they cannot win over by love but by fear. They rightly devised ways to instill fear. Mantras, chants, prayers, songs of Lord’s glory were not enough to make mankind follow the great power hungry, religious leaders who wanted followers than believers. Doth were born rituals and superstitions. People too were happy. They could easily let reason to rest and blindly follow their preacher, Guru or religious leader as they followed their Papa in childhood.

A socially acceptable name which would make all and sundry including even a few who had the power of knowledge accept such practices was decided. The modern man calls it – FAITH.

With scientific progress, mankind should be able to take charge of its mind and ignore all such fears. Alas the opposite seems to be happening the world over.

Religion, superstitions, blind-believes, all are in revival. It is as if the more wealth the man creates, the more is his fear develops of losing it. Smart religious operators understand this and use it to their benefit.

In India or even in far flung USA/Canada, open any Indian TV channel being broadcast and all kinds of sooth Sayers, astrologers and Vastu Shastris will appear on screen within minutes. They even come on news channels as if what they forecast is the gospel truth, as true as the existential truth which the channel just broadcast. In Canada, go to any mall or strip plaza, especially in communities dominated by ethnic people and chances are you would bump into one of them there doing brisk business.

Vastu Shastra is the new scientific knowledge for Indians world over. Rich or poor, literate or illiterate, Doctors, engineers, scientists, lawyers, all have accepted this as the gospel truth. Houses, corporates, even research establishments, all need to accept the power of Vastu Shastra lest the negative energy enter their domain.

In fact, people swear by Vastu and have started calling it a branch of science. Chances are the Indian government may build an IIV, Indian Institute of Vastu than an IIT. It is the new marketing strategy for Indian architects, designers and consultants not just in India but where ever they could spread their businesses. The word is – Vastu Compliant. The concept of spaces and structures being defined based on light and natural energy sources is a part of any structural and architectural design, the world over. But the same is mixed by digging holes, building blind walls, installing idols at various places, putting mirrors at entrances to avoid evil eyes,……. And people blindly follow.

People change the spelling of their names and add weird sounding letters which phonetically makes no sense but supposedly brings them good fortune. A’s, E’s, K’s, M’s, O’s are the common letters which may or may not change the luck of the person but would instantly make him identifiable as a person who has more belief in the power of a single letter than his whole life’s work as yet.

Chilies and lemons are hung on door or an idol stands at the entrance, a good time is defined to start a new project and God forbid never on a Saturday, people bow in front of various objects and pictures or animals, a tazib is worn to safeguard from bad spirits, a cross protects from evil, ……. I could go on and on.

And anyone who speaks out against this is termed as speaking out against the sentiments of the people. Non-believers be rather dead or silent than be allowed to express themselves lest their thoughts make some people change their minds.

Fear has always been the pillar stone of any religion, its rigid line which kept people inside the boundary and make them follow the religious leaders.

Unfortunately, with the lines getting blurred between politics and religion, the religious leaders who had perfected the art of instilling fear have started training their agents and protégées to use the same in the political space. Slowly it will be more pronounced.

There was a time in India when the politicians and the powermongers hired the goons and the ‘Bahubalis’ to do their dirty work. Later the goons developed ambition and became politicians themselves and took control of the political space.

Every politician worth his salt has his favorite preacher or Guru who guides him and trains him on how to use fear to rule over the masses. Slowly the religious leader would become ambitious and bypass the politician himself. After all they are the masters in the game of fear.

As the world turns right, time is not far away when political meets would seem more as places of religious discourses as Saints, Sants, Maulvis, Hajis, Mahants, Padris, Bishops, Panthis would be omnipresent. They will be our new leaders and by God, I wish them luck. They are most deserving!

For the common man, that will be a day to rejoice as his surrender will be complete and no confusions will persist. His favorite Papa in the mind space will guide him in all spheres of life and he can put reason to rest and relax.